


penguin shiro loves you, baby

by Inky



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Lance builds a whole ass zoo to make a joke about sheith, M/M, Penguin Sheith AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inky/pseuds/Inky
Summary: “So… let me get this straight, Lance.”“Uh-huh.”“You are… a defender of the universe.”“Yep.”“Blue Paladin of Voltron, and pilot of the Red Lion.”“Heck yeah.”“Literallyone of the saviors of our known universe—““You can tell me I’m your hero any time, Keith.”“—And you’re opening a zoo.”





	penguin shiro loves you, baby

**Author's Note:**

> this fic hit me like a typhoon last night; yes hello I absolutely adore the penguin sheith AU on twitter going around right now. There's a ton of art of it on twitter, but I believe the origin is [here](https://twitter.com/birdmanbirdplan/status/1050890928435617792). So thank you, [@birdmanbirdplan](https://twitter.com/birdmanbirdplan), for your amazingly adorable little AU.
> 
> \--[elle](https://twitter.com/inkweaving)

"So… let me get this straight, Lance.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You are… a defender of the universe.”

“Yep.”

“Blue Paladin of Voltron, and pilot of the Red Lion.”

“Heck yeah.”

“ _Literally_ one of the saviors of our known universe—“

“You can tell me I’m your hero _any_ time, Keith.”

“—And you’re opening a zoo.”

Lance puts his hand on his hip like he really _is_ the sole savior of the known universe, his other hand propped dramatically upon his pointed chin. Keith could smack that smug look right off his face, but he’s too busy huffing and crossing his arms as he turns to the others. Specifically, he’s looking for support from Shiro and Pidge, because Hunk already looks like he’s died and gone to heaven as he looks out at the small, _literal_ petting zoo Lance has set up in the middle of the damn desert.

However, instead of looking at Lance like he’s a dumbass, Shiro and Pidge glance at each other and nod. Keith splutters as Pidge gives Lance a thumbs up, and Lance gets one of Shiro’s patented shoulder touches. Keith _certainly_ doesn’t feel a twinge of jealousy at _that_.

“Lance. What you’re doing is pretty bold, but this is a huge undertaking. Are you sure you’re up for the task by yourself?” Shiro, kind and sensible Shiro, asks.

“He won’t have to,” Allura cuts in, suddenly appearing with Coran trotting behind her, datapad in hand. She claps her hands together, leveling the paladins and Shiro with a wide, excited smile. “Lance and I have been all around the world, collecting data on your earth animals in an attempt to help foster repopulation efforts. As you know, many members of valuable species sadly perished in the invasion, including the mysterious ‘mosquito’—“

“Actually, Allura—“ Pidge begins, weakly sticking up a finger. Allura doesn’t seem to hear her.

“—and so, we have begun the process of species preservation. Coran?”

“Yes! Yes, ah—“ Coran begins. He flips hurriedly through screens on his datapad and stops at a series of charts and diagrams, which he pulls up on a holographic display. “Using Altean engineering, we will be designing a ‘zoo’ of sorts in order to rehabilitate decimated animal species on your planet. Each species will be given a temperature-regulated exhibit, and be encouraged to foster young or help the repopulation process! It was Lance’s idea. It’s quite fascinating, really. Earth species mating patterns are quite—“

“ _Anyway_ ,” Lance interrupts. He crosses his arms, and that smug grin is back on his face. “We sent a petition around the city, and a sign-up list for volunteers. We’ve got, like, a _ton_ of help to get this set up.”

“ _This_ is what you were doing while I was stuck in the hospital?” Keith asks, despaired. He looks back at Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro. “You guys are letting this happen? This is crazy!”

He looks at Shiro for any sort of validation, but all he gets is a big ol’ shrug with one flesh arm and one floaty arm. Dejected, Keith slumps.

“Lance has put a lot of thought into this. Not only will this be a good chance for species preservation, but this will be good for boosting morale. There are a lot of people looking for a way to help.”

“We could ask them to, you know, pilot the lions for a bit. Take the pressure off of, uh. Us,” Hunk suggests, a hopeful lilt in his voice. Shiro side-eyes him.

“People looking for a way to help that doesn’t involve them _piloting the literal defender of the universe_.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.”

“We’re on your side, Lance. If you want to spearhead this with the Princess, then we have your back,” Shiro promises, returning his focus to the now very pleased-looking Blue Paladin. He gives Shiro an over-dramatic salute, which Keith is sure he’s only doing to further piss him off.

“You can count on me, Captain.”

-*-

Much to Keith’s chagrin, Lance’s project goes well.

 _Extraordinarily_ well.

Under Allura and Coran’s exceptional organizational skills, and Lance’s… creativity, the little fenced-off petting zoo soon grows, and _grows_ , until it’s very nearly the size of a theme park within only two month’s time. It helps that the Olkarion have brought supplies from their own planet to help build, and with the Balmera so close by to provide crystals, Altean tech runs abound in the zoo to keep every animal in their own perfect habitat.

And the _tourism_.

Keith never would’ve guessed that tourism would be essential in the recovery of the planet, but the GAC that flows in from off-planet… it’s astounding. And quietly, secretly, Keith is proud of Lance for it. Just like that, he and Allura have boosted Earth’s morale, have provided employment for restless humans looking for work, and have saved multiple species of animals simply by providing suitable habitats.

At the three-month mark, the zoo becomes official Coalition-protected territory, and has earned its place on the galactic map. Keith isn’t hugely fond of the massive rise in alien visitors to the planet, and how crowded everything becomes in a few short weeks, but at least he has reprieve in his personal chambers on the Atlas.

He’s in the middle of _enjoying_ said reprieve, sprawled out on his couch in nothing but his paladin undersuit for his required six hours of “rest” (which he normally spends drawing up battle simulations for Voltron), when there’s a metallic rapping sound at the door. Rolling his eyes and dropping his datapad on his chest, he lifts his head just enough to peer across the room at the door.

“It’s open.”

The door slides open and, instead of Iverson coming to yell at him for not using his rest time to actually _rest,_ it’s Shiro.

Coming to (gently) scold him for not using his rest time to actually rest.

Keith scrambles to sit up from the couch, coaxing a laugh from the Atlas captain, and a wave of his prosthetic hand.

“At ease, _cadet_ ,” he teases. Keith’s shoulders slump, and he grins and shakes his head as the door slides shut behind Shiro.

“ _Captain_ ,” Keith greets. Shiro grimaces at the word and approaches the couch to flop down near Keith’s feet. Sighing, he takes off his captain’s cap and runs his hand through his hat hair. He has no right to look as _attractive_ as he does, but as always, Keith grabs his feelings around the throat, stuffs it in a box, and crushes that box with a sledgehammer.

“Much as I love all the Earth conservation and the new funds being brought in to upgrade all of our tech…” Shiro begins in a long, drawn out sigh. He peeks over at Keith. “There sure are a _lot_ of people in one place.”

“See? We could’ve dodged a bullet by shooting Lance down when we had the chance. But you were too worried about the lions. Earth lions,” Keith chides him. It draws another weary little chuckle out of Shiro, which is a sound that makes Keith’s heart skip a beat. He’s been laughing a lot more, nowadays.

“This is a _good_ thing, Keith. What Lance and Allura are doing is—okay, maybe not the _highest_ priority, I’ll admit, but… it was sorely needed. There’s new energy. People feel like they have a purpose, and a place in the restoration efforts. You have to admit that. Lance made a great call with this zoo project.”

Shiro gives Keith a pointed look, and Keith shrinks away from it, because he _knows_ that look, and he _knows_ that tone.

“Keith…”

“...Oh, no.”

“You should talk to Lance. I think he’s really wanting to hear your approval of this project. You know how he is.”

“Okay… but here’s the thing,” Keith says. He puts his hands together, takes a deep breath, and levels Shiro with the most serious look he can handle. “I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to… admit that I’m right, and Lance was right, and that you almost shot down a great idea?” Shiro finishes with a smug little grin that’s infectious, and makes Keith want to kick him off the couch. Instead, he rolls his eyes and tips his head back.

“...I know _you’re_ right. It’s admitting _Lance_ was right that’s the problem.”

Keith feels a solid weight settle on his knee, which sends electric shocks all the way up his leg and up his spine. With a shiver, he dares to look at Shiro and his stupid pretty face and his stupid warm, dazzling smile.

“I know,” he says, and it’s entirely too fond for Keith to handle. His heart pounds a mile a minute. “You don’t need me to tell you that you should talk to him. You’ve already been thinking about it, haven’t you?”

Keith sighs through his nose, “...Of _course_ I have. He doesn’t need to know that, though.”

“Of course not. Need some moral support?”

“No!” Keith laughs. He huffs and hauls himself up and off the couch. He supposes he should put his uniform on, but the paladin undersuit is so comfy… like a onesie. If he puts on his red officer uniform, he’ll have to answer any Coalition questions that come his way and… “You could come with me and defend me from hundreds of questions about Voltron and the Coalition that I’ve already answered before so I can wear street clothes like a normal person?”

Shiro looks down at his captain’s uniform and makes a face.

“...We could get the space wolf to teleport us there and avoid the masses altogether.”

“That’s not very Defender-Of-The-Universe of you.”

They both end up going in full uniform which, of course, prompts at least a dozen frequently-asked-questions from random passersby. It takes them a half hour just to get through the main part of the city, and they’re already pretty exhausted by the time they get to Lance’s zoo. It’s bustling, with dozens of human and alien children and their families, groups of young adults, and many, many cadets from the Garrison.

It’s the first time Keith has stepped foot in it since it was a tiny little petting zoo, and he hates that it very nearly takes his breath away. It’s… _incredible_. There are exhibits for almost any animal he can think of; lions, elephants, even hippos, which draws Keith’s attention immediately. He sticks close to Shiro, of course, but it’s difficult to weave through the crowds and past the various exhibits without veering off to take a look.

Both alien and human vendors line the pathways, selling food and souvenirs, and it looks like business is booming. Keith shakes his head, baffled.

“ _Wow_ ,” is all he can say, and Shiro agrees with a laugh at his side.

As promised, the Altean tech sustaining the zoo is creating a different habitat for each and every holding block—from arctic temperatures to the rainforest, this zoo has it all. And it’s all powered by a huge, battleship-class Balmeran crystal that floats in the very center of the zoo, sparkling in the sunlight overhead.

“Shiro! Keith!”

Allura’s voice draws their attention from behind. Turning, they spot Allura jogging towards them, a bright smile on her face. Keith notes that she looks happier than she’s looked in months, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling with wonder. It convinces him a little more that this huge project, and all of the effort that’s been put into it, is worth it.

“Princess,” Shiro greets. He gestures out around him. “It looks more and more incredible every time I come.”

“You’ve been here already?” Keith asks. Shiro flashes him a grin and a wink, which stokes the flame of Keith’s curiosity.

“Thank you, Shiro. And Keith. I’m so happy you could make it! Lance has been… enthusiastic. About you making your debut appearance here at the sanctuary…”

“What? Really?”

“Well… more like he was being quite insufferable, saying he was going to rub it in your face—“

“That sounds more like him.”

“—But he’s truly, _truly_ looking forward to showing you the ice exhibit,” Allura says. She clasps her hands together, giving Keith a pleading, wide smile. “Oh, won’t you come see, Keith?”

“Ice exhibit?” Keith echoes. He glances at Shiro with a suspicious tilt of his head, but all he gets in return is a knowing grin. “...Do I want to know?”

“I think you’ll be surprised.”

“Come, I’ll show you,” Allura says, an enthusiastic pep in her step as she ushers both Keith and Shiro towards a large building towards the western side of the zoo. Inside, the air is quite cool, as the entire building is dedicated to a _massive_ ice sculpture; a hyper-realistic rendition of what Antarctica looked like before climate change. Keith can’t stop himself—his jaw drops and he freezes in place, staring out at the exhibit. And…

Penguins.

Lots and _lots_ of penguins.

“Holy shit,” is all he can manage, and both Shiro and Allura burst into laughter. Keith just shakes his head in disbelief, taking a slow step forward.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to _show up_.”

Keith’s attention is torn away from the exhibit to see Lance marching up to him, datapad tucked under his arm. He storms right up to Keith and jabs him in the chest with a finger.

“So, Mr. Hotshot, think my zoo idea is stupid now? Huh? Are you going to look at all these happy people and animals, then look me in the eye and tell me it’s dumb or unnecessary?” Lance grills him, and Keith holds his hands up in surrender almost immediately.

“No, Lance. I’m not.”

“Well, then you’re just a—wait, what?”

Keith grabs Lance’s wrist and pushes it away from his chest—almost gently, like he’s just batting him away.

“I’m not going to tell you it’s dumb. Actually, I…” Keith trails off and looks around, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his uniform. He clears his throat. “I think this is pretty cool. And you did a good job.”

Lance’s face goes bright, tomato red as he sucks his lips between his teeth so hard, it looks like there’s just a pucker in the middle of his face. He sputters out a cough into his hand, “W-Well. I’m just glad y-you… that you admit that I was right.”

“...Yeah, Lance. You were right. This is great.”

Keith sticks out his hand for a handshake.

“Good job, man. You and Allura did something incredible, here.”

“But it was his idea! I just put in a little Altean magic here and there,” Allura pipes in. She’s very clearly pleased with this little moment. Shiro looks rather content, as well, which just makes Keith want to stick his entire head in some wet cement.

Lance hesitates, but eventually grabs Keith’s hand and shakes it rather vigorously. A wide smile breaks across his entire face.

“...I… _thank_ you, Keith. And thank you, Shiro, for believing in me and… and Allura, for helping me with the ice terraforming, I just… I’m so happy,” Lance says. His voice breaks a little and he shakes his head to clear the tears. “It means so much to me that you’re finally here and—oh! The surprise!”

“Oh, yes!” Allura says excitedly. She and Lance usher Keith and Shiro towards the other end of the ice exhibit, where there is a small, boxed-off section with only a few penguins inside. Upon closer inspection, Keith notices that every penguin in this part of the exhibit is injured in some way—partially missing beaks, missing flippers, missing chunks of fur and bandages… all of these penguins have been badly hurt, in some way.

Keith’s attention is immediately drawn to the emperor penguin taking a nap next to an iceberg and a small pile of pebbles, his head tucked down. He’s missing his right flipper… and he has a tuft of white feathers at the top of his head, kind of like…

“That one looks like Shiro,” Keith says instantly, putting his finger on the glass. Lance and Allura burst into laughter, while Shiro’s face lights up in a magnificent blush. Keith puts his hand up against the glass, leaning forward to get a closer look. The Shiro-penguin stirs a little as a second penguin—this one an Adelie penguin—waddles up to him with a pebble in his beak. He spits it out at the Shiro-penguin’s feet, and lets out a trilling noise.

The Shiro-penguin just looks happy, shuffling forward to touch his beak to the top of the smaller penguin’s head.

“What’s wrong with that one?” Keith asks. Lance and Allura trade shit-eating grins. Shiro puts his head in his hand.

“Nothing is wrong with that one,” Allura says, sing-songy. “He just didn’t want to leave Shiro’s side when we quarantined him.”

“...You named him Shiro,” Keith deadpans. He looks back out at Penguin Shiro and his little Adelie buddy. The gears in his brain turn and slowly, slowly, the thoughts click into place. He points his finger at the Adelie penguin. “And you named that one Keith. Didn’t you?”

Lance looks like all of his dreams are coming true. “He’s _loud_ , hot-headed, and—well, look what happens when someone else gets too close to Shiro.”

Keith watches in despair as another emperor penguin waddles closer to the little pebble pile at Penguin Shiro’s feet. Penguin Keith immediately starts squawking and flapping his arms around, waddling towards the emperor penguin to chase it away. Penguin Keith doesn’t seem to care that he’s almost half the size of the emperor. Meanwhile, Penguin Shiro just looks pleased, his eyes half-closed as he nestles down next to the pile of pebbles.

“They came here at the same time, you see. They were in my cargo bay, and… well, I guess they bonded during the trip,” Allura explains. “Penguin Shiro’s only going to be quarantined until we can get him a proper prosthetic. Otherwise, he’s on quite a few antibiotics and painkillers… so he’s a little out of it, it seems.”

Lance claps Keith on the shoulder, hard. “It’s a good thing his little penguin boyfriend is helping him out!”

“I’m _not_ his—I mean—“ Keith scrambles to correct himself, but the damage is already done. Now Shiro’s face is in both of his hands as he groans, Allura’s smile gets so wide it nearly splits her face clear in half, and Lance wheezes with laughter. Keith’s face feels entirely too warm as he makes a helpless gesture towards the penguins. “You made it confusing! Why would you name— _Lance!_ Why would you name gay penguins after me and Shiro?!”

“First of all, it was Allura’s idea, not mine,” Lance says, raising his hands in defense. “Secondly, you’re assuming those penguins are gay, when they might just be _brothers_.”

Keith glances back at the penguins. “They’re _literally_ two entirely different goddamn species of penguin. And you just said they’re _boyfri_ —”

“ _Thirdly_ , Shiro is a gay man, so it’s only proper that his penguin self is gay, too.”

“Now _you’re_ assuming it’s—” Keith begins, heated and loud and puffing up his chest. Behind him, Penguin Keith squawks indignantly at the humans too close to Penguin Shiro, puffing up his chest and approaching the glass so he can peck threateningly at it. Keith huffs and puffs, haughty, and crosses his arms over his chest. “This is stupid.”

“ _Au contraire_ , Mr. Cactus, this is art in motion.”

“It’s okay, Keith,” Shiro soothes. His hand is on Keith’s shoulder again, giving it a comforting squeeze.

(Behind them, Penguin Shiro shuffles up to Penguin Keith and nuzzles the top of his head, calming him from his temper tantrum. Penguin Keith turns to face him, squawks, and herds the sleepy emperor back towards the pebble pile.)

“Just—” Keith starts up again, but he lets out a sigh of defeat. He looks up at Shiro, frowning and crossing his arms so tight he’s practically hugging himself. “Are you sure _you’re_ okay with this?”

“They’re penguins,” Shiro chuckles. “Not actually you and I. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Keith bites his lip. Well. If he had to be a penguin to love and support Shiro, wouldn’t he choose the penguin life every time? He decides not to answer that for himself, afraid of what conclusion he might come to.

“Speaking of which,” Lance says. That smug tone is back in his voice. “Check out our little Keiro family.”

“What the hell is a Keiro?” Keith asks, and he instantly knows he doesn’t want to know based on Lance’s face alone. Allura sighs.

“I told him _Sheith_ sounds better.”

“That’s their… that’s what they call these two, when they’re together,” Shiro answers the question for him, his voice wavering with embarrassment. Keith has a brief out-of-body moment, where he imagines himself punting Lance into the sun.

“Okay, okay. Keiro, Sheith, whatever. Turn around,” Lance huffs, and he grabs Shiro and Keith and forcibly turn them around. They see Penguin Shiro partially hunched over and lifting the flap of skin and feathers down by his belly.

There, balanced on his feet, is a single, large white egg.

Freezing, Shiro and Keith stare wide-eyed as Penguin Keith taps his beak gently against the shell of the egg and lets out a loud trilling sound, flapping his wings and throwing his head back. Penguin Shiro trills gently back at him and bobs his head in delight, and Penguin Keith responds in kind, belly flopping onto the ice and scooting around in excited little circles around the emperor. Penguin Shiro tries to track his movements with his head, but ends up making himself dizzy. Instead, he throws his head back to let out a loud, honking screech.

“Awww, they’re so excited for their wittle baby _Sheef_ ,” Lance croons. He makes a kissy face at Keith, and the desire to punch him is so strong that Keith actually tenses and rears his fist back. However, Shiro is quick to catch his wrist and hold fast.

“Unfortunately, the original female who laid that egg was too weak and injured to care for it,” Allura explains. She gestures to Penguin Shiro. “Our little heroes over there scooped it up as soon as they could. We have a monitor on it, of course. Just a little sticker with the device built right in. Shiro is taking very good care of it.”

“Of course he would,” Keith huffs before he realizes what he’s saying. Lance and Allura grin at each other in delight and Keith rapidly backpedals, “I mean—emperor penguins, they’re—communal, aren’t— _guys_ —“

“Oh, Keith,” Lance sighs. Allura hums in agreement, and they both look at each other knowingly, like there’s some sort of secret Shiro and Keith aren’t aware of. Keith squints at them both, about ready to demand some _answers_.

Instead, Coran’s voice comes on the radio on Lance’s hip, _“Lance! Yes, ahh_ — _how do I ring in a... What is it, ma’am? A ‘cheque’?”_

“What is this, the stone age?” Lance mutters. He brings the radio to his mouth. “Be there in a tic, Coran.”  
  
Lance smiles lopsidedly and shrugs at Shiro and Keith as he backs up.

“Well! Enjoy the zoo, don’t get too cozy with the penguins, you two,” he says. He gives them double finger guns and a wink before he rushes off. Before Allura can get Keith’s heated glare, she gives them a little wave and runs off after Lance, giggling and whispering to him as soon as she catches up.

There’s a long, awkward silence when Shiro and Keith are left alone.

Together, they stand in front of the penguin enclosure, watching Penguin Keith and Shiro nestle up together. Penguin Keith is literally half of Penguin Shiro’s size, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all as he tips his beak up and gently taps at Penguin Shiro’s beak. They just sit there together, nuzzling and tapping at each other, until Keith swears he feels like he’s… really intruding on an intimate moment.

A little shy, and worried about what he’ll see, Keith peeks up at Shiro to gauge his reaction to all this.

He’s just smiling. He watches the penguins with a soft, peaceful look on his face and a tender curve of his lip full of much more emotion than he could possibly convey with words. Keith feels his face growing hotter.

“...So uh… pretty uh… dumb, huh?” he laughs, awkward. Shiro doesn’t answer right away, but when he does, his voice is soft.

“They’re having a little family together,” he murmurs. He glances down at Keith, one perfect white brow arched high. “You think that’s dumb?”

“N-No,” Keith stammers. “I. I, uh. No. It’s not. Just… Lance and Allura trying to get under our skin. That’s what I meant.”

Shiro chuckles, soft and low, and together they go back to watching the penguins. Penguin Keith is still nuzzling Penguin Shiro, and Penguin Shiro just sits there and contentedly lets Penguin Keith rub against him, tap at him, fuss around him, and otherwise dote on him. Every so often, Penguin Keith waddles away to find another pebble to bring back to Shiro’s collection gathering by his feet.

“Adelie penguins court female penguins by bringing them little pebbles and stones,” Shiro points out. His arms are crossed as he leans towards Keith a little, inadvertently bumping their shoulders together. Keith bites his lip, and Shiro’s voice gets softer and lower in his ear. “That little guy is working _really_ hard to seduce penguin me.”

“ _Or_ ,” Keith starts. His voice cracks and he clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Maybe Penguin Keith is giving his all because he cares about Penguin Shiro’s happiness, and wants him to feel well-loved and be taken care of.”

“Hm… good observation,” Shiro’s voice is a whisper, and his flesh arm is moving to slide a hand around Keith’s shoulders and draw him a little closer. “Penguin Shiro looks pretty happy about that, if that’s the case.”

“He does.”

“Do you think… Penguin Shiro loves Penguin Keith?” Shiro murmurs.

Keith tenses a little, his crossed arms pulling tighter around himself. He doesn’t dare look up at Shiro’s expression on his face, so he just concentrates on the way Penguin Keith takes a break from bringing Penguin Shiro pebbles to once again nuzzle at him and check on the egg. Penguin Shiro obligingly, but tiredly, lifts his belly to let Penguin Keith _tap, tap, tap_ at the egg.

“I… think…” Keith breathes. Shiro’s hand is rubbing up and down his arm in soothing strokes, distracting him. Keith gulps. “Maybe Penguin Keith isn’t sure. And he doesn’t… he doesn’t know how Penguin Shiro feels, if he feels like it’s supposed to be a brotherly thing or a romantic thing. But Keith… Penguin Keith… probably just wants to take care of Penguin Shiro anyway, because all that ever mattered is that he’s safe and happy and loved.”

Keith’s heart is in his throat. Shiro’s flesh hand is moving again, sliding up his shoulder, up his neck, and reaching around to cup his jaw. Keith feels Shiro tugging on him, trying to get him to move his head. Embarrassed and feverish, Keith doesn’t dare look at him yet, resisting the pull and keeping his eyes locked on the penguins.

“I think Penguin Keith loves him a lot,” Keith blurts. “...And it’s not just a brother thing, it’s real, and he’s probably felt that way for a long time, and—”

Shiro grabs Keith’s face in both hands and yanks him up into a bruising kiss. Their teeth knock together painfully, and Keith’s nose is a little crushed against his face, but he doesn’t care. Scrabbling for purchase on Shiro’s captain’s jacket, Keith pushes himself up on tiptoes and kisses him back as hard as he can. Without thinking, he winds his arms around Shiro’s neck, and Shiro responds by literally lifting him up off his feet and spinning him around once.

When they part, they’re both out of breath, and their eyes are alight.

_Tap, tap, tap._

A tiny noise draws their attention to the glass penguin enclosure. There stands Penguin Keith, tapping at the glass and puffing up his chest as he paces back and forth in front of them, warning them to stay away. When he’s sure they can’t come any closer, he marches back to Shiro and nestles down beside him, scooting close until Penguin Shiro bows his head to rest the tip of his beak on the top of Penguin Keith’s head.

The little display has Shiro and Keith laughing, still wrapped up in each other’s arms. Keith’s toes barely touch the floor.

“Shiro--” Keith starts, but Shiro silences him with another quick kiss. He grins, lopsided.

“Penguin Shiro loves you, baby.”

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [nautilicious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nautilicious/works) on AO3 for their proofreading and beta work! You are a lifesaver <3
> 
>  
> 
> [You can follow me and see more penguin sheith retweets on my twitter here.](https://twitter.com/inkweaving)


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